Page 20 - KCRPCA NovDec 2020

NUTS & BOLTS STRING THEORY NOT “SOMETIMES”, YOU “ALWAYS” NEED THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB TECHNICAL EDITOR KARL WILEN With track season now of- ficially over for us, it is time to start thinking about track season again! It will be on us before you know it, so it is time to get busy in your shop or garage or wherever you prep your car for the season! One of the most common things you will see at a race track, es- pecially at the professional level, are these wild contraptions hang- ing off the race cars in the garag- es. Those contraptions are strings used to align the car. At the track, we are constantly making adjust- ments, depending on how the car is handling. At the pro level, we might make these adjustments 6-8 times a weekend per car; before the car goes out on track, and af- ter it comes back in depending on driver input or just to double check the settings. They are also handy in case of an unfortunate off track excursion or contact with another moveable or immoveable object, which may have thrown off the alignment....or even if you have had to replace a suspension com- ponent at the track, the alignment needs to be rechecked. Strings are the perfect way to do that at the track, or in the garage for the home user. A laser alignment system is fantastic, but most people can’t af- ford to constantly be paying for a laser alignment every time they make an adjustment to their car, and you definitely can’t haul that to the track. What do the strings do? Well, the purpose is to put the car in a perfectly square box. From with- in that box, you are then able to measure points from the box to the car to set your alignment set- tings. Initial setup may seem a bit clumsy at first, but once you are familiar with the process it is quick and easy. I utilize Smart Strings, which were designed by 15 20 Der Sportwagen YEARS